Simple Complications
by Shinza
Summary: Non-Massacre A.U. Why was it always the easiest missions that ended up being the most troublesome ones? And for once, it wasn't entirely Naruto's fault. /ItaSaku/
1. Sakura

**Greetings dear Reader!**

 **Ever woke up one morning, on a plain day with absolutely nothing special planned, but still feeling very happy for no apparent reason? It's refreshing :)**

 **Side notes :**

Narration

"Talking"

 ** _Inner voice_**

 _*Thinking*_

 **Disclaimer : I do not own** ** _Naruto_**

* * *

 _*This was supposed to be an easy mission*_ , Sakura thought grimly for the hundredth time today as she dashed through the forest, leaping from branch to branch at full speed. She hadn't bothered with hiding her chakra signature since she had left the mountains, but still thanked the Gods for her perfect chakra control, as well as Tsunade-sama for helping her master that 'monstrous strength' of hers, as Naruto called it. Even if she could feel her chakra reserves dwindle, the pink haired woman kept her pace fast and steady while she nimbly made her way through the trees, the bodies of her two unconscious teammates slung over each shoulder.

She shouldn't have had been surprised, really. After all, she had been a member of Konoha's infamous Team 7 for almost ten years now. She still remembered their first official mission out of hidden village, when a simple escort mission had ended up with them fighting Zabuza and Haku, S class criminals. After that, there were all of the other missions that had followed, when Naruto ended up dragging them into impossible situations; so she really shouldn't have had been surprised by this outcome.

For some reason, the easier the mission was, the bigger mess they ended up in. But for once, she couldn't blame it on Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki, training under Tsunade and Gaara in order to become the next Hokage, had been asked to go to Iron Country, as an Ambassador from Fire, in order to deliver a treaty that would allow their merchants free passage into Fire. The blond Jinchuriki was to meet Iron's officials at the border, give the scroll, trade a few handshakes, and head back to Konoha. A fast, simple, and easy solo mission. Of course, that hadn't stopped Naruto from whining, begging, and finally bribing Tsunade with sake, so that she'd let Sasuke and herself tag along. With her working at the hospital, and Sasuke as a teacher at the Academy, Team 7 rarely got together for missions nowadays, but after days of pestering the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade had finally accepted to give Sasuke and her a few days off in order to escort Naruto to the border of the Land of Iron.

During the three-day trip, the blond idiot hadn't been able to keep quiet for single minute. He would chat about his training as the next Hokage, bragged about Konohamaru's latest pranks, planned their next dinner at Ichiraku's, taunt Sasuke with silly tricks, and blush madly whenever the name 'Hinata' was brought into the conversation.

Truth be told, Sakura hadn't really minded his unrelenting yapping because she hadn't been able to see her two precious teammates in weeks, and this bonding time felt nice.

Sasuke had also shared a few stories about his students, and was pleased to announce that he would soon replace Kurenai-sensei as the next Genjutsu teacher. Sakura, on the other hand, had been promoted to Konoha's hospital Chief Doctor about two months ago, and even if she was swamped with work, she truly loved her job and didn't mind not going onto field anymore.

The pinkette thoroughly enjoyed spending the next three days laughing at Naruto's antics, teasing the ever so stoic Uchiha about his blossoming relationship with Naruto's cousin, Karin, and generally just relished in the time she was spending with her two teammates. Maybe this should have warned her that something just _had_ to go wrong.

On the evening of the third day, when they had arrived at the border of Iron and Fire, Naruto had been the first to slow his pace as the smell of corpses and death hung in the air around them. Right after that, Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, but hadn't been able to detect anything suspicious, so they had moved on into Iron Country. As they entered the first valley that would have lead them to the meeting point, the Sharingan wielder had announced that they were the only living beings for miles. Sakura had had a very bad feeling about this, but before the trio could backtrack out of the valley, they were attacked.

It had been a close call, but she had managed to get them out of there. The enemies had been searching for them relentlessly, and had almost succeeded in finding them once, which lead to her present predicament. The pink haired Kunoichi was now running as fast as she could while her pursuers herded her towards the borders of Sound. At first, she had planned on escaping to the East by going into the mountains that ran along the valley they had been ambushed in, after that she would have erased her trail to lose them in the dense forest while she made her way back South towards Fire Country. Unfortunately, when she had been about to cross over into Fire territory, the enemy had already been waiting for her, much to her annoyance. It was only then that she realized that her attackers were closing in on her, urging her towards Sound.

Cursing herself for not having noticed it sooner, Sakura concentrated on the two limp bodies she had been carrying for the past day. She could feel her muscles start to tremble from the exhaustion, and a headache forming at her temples due to her low levels of chakra, but she ignored it all and pushed on. It was unnerving that the ones hunting her didn't seem to falter in their chase while she was steadily running out of energy, but shoved the thought aside as she pumped more chakra into her aching limbs.

When they closed in on her, she knew this game of cat-and-mouse would soon be over. Depleted of her chakra, she couldn't evade her pursuers any longer when a dozen chains flew her way and chakra sealing cuffs started to snap shut around her arms and legs. As she was slammed to the ground, her new restrains pulling her every which ways, her hold on her two teammates slipped, making the two lifeless body tumble forward before disappearing in a silent puff of smoke. Sakura could only smirk at the surprised, and angry, look on the face of the one responsible for the ambush.

After all, she had been the bait, and he had fallen for it.


	2. Itachi

The Uchiha compound was in an uproar.

Itachi had arrived the day before last, after a four-month long mission, and had been looking forward to a full night of sleep in a comfortable bed. Unfortunately, that prospect had vanished when Shizune, the Hokage's first apprentice, had arrived to their household just before dawn, urging his parents and himself to meet with Tsunade-sama at the hospital.

Not ten minutes later, the angry voices of the Uchiha patriarch and of the Godaime Hokage could be heard throughout Konoha. As Itachi tried to ignore to furious yells of Fugaku, his father, he walked up to where his little brother was currently sitting. Sasuke had his back pressed up against a pile of pillows, but his entire body was tensed under the covers of his hospital bed. Other than a few cuts and bruises here and there, the worse of Sasuke's injuriy was his left leg that was in a cast. The most worrisome wound, on the other hand, was hidden under the thick white bandages that passed over his eyes. Flaring up his chakra to let is Otouto know that he was here, Itachi slowly sat at the foot of the hospital bed and inspected his surroundings. The room was a small white cube, with a single bed and a nightstand with an empty vase. As he was now, Itachi's back was to a window while he faced a door, behind which the irate voice of the Hokage could still be heard. On the far side of the room, to his left, Kakashi Hatake was leaning against the wall; the only sign of his distress being the fact that he wasn't reading that little orange book he was so fond of. On the right side of the room, slumped over in a chair, a very silent Naruto.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the unmoving form of the otherwise energetic young man. The first time he had met the blond boy was when his little brother had been assigned to Team 7. The two kids had become inseparable friends, much to his surprise. After all, the Kyuubi vessel had a very loud, energetic and goofy personality while his brother had always been more reserved and serious. Then again, Itachi was glad to see that Sasuke had such a loyal friend that would watch his back when Team 7 was out on missions. Moreover, Hatake was their team leader. When the elder Uchiha had first entered ANBU at the age of 11, it had been the Copy-nin that had taken him under his wing and taught him what it really meant to be part of ANBU. Itachi respected the older shinobi greatly, and knew that his little brother was in good hands.

The only thing that wasn't adding up with the scene occurring in front of him was the fact that the fourth member of their little team, the pink haired medic-nin, wasn't around. His brother had always complained how his female teammate would become too much of a mother-hen when one of them was injured; but that only made Itachi smile because he knew that, deep down, Sasuke was a mama's boy and loved that kind of attention.

The elder Uchiha was snapped out of his musings when he heard the door of the room slam shut. Tsunade, a busty blond whose temper was as fearsome as her strength, had just entered the small room, taking in deep breaths in order to calm herself after her rather loud conversation with the head of the Uchiha clan.

"That insufferable man!", she mumbled between clenched teeth before taking in another calming breath.

Itachi kept a steady gaze on the Hokage as her angry features smoothed out, leaving only a serious front as she stood tall in front of them, her eyes resting on the bandages covering his little brother's face.

"Sasuke", hearing his name, his little brother's head twitched to the side, showing that he was listening, "with a few more healing sessions, your eyes should be back to normal. Until then, you are _not_ to be using your Sharingan."

From the corner of his eye, he vaguely saw Sasuke nod his head once as his posture relaxed a bit at the knowledge that he would be able to see again. Itachi found it sad that his clan depended on their Kekkei Genkai so much, but made no comment as Tsunade-sama turned to Naruto, her arms crossed under her generous chest as she spoke with a steady but firm voice.

"Are you ready to explain _calmly_ what happened, or do I have to flick your head through the wall again?"

At her words, Naruto slowly shook his head and kept his slumped over position as he answered, his voice strained with emotion:

"We travelled through Fire without any problem, but when we crossed the border into Iron Country, I picked up the smell of cadavers. After Sasuke activated his Sharingan for further inspection, we couldn't find anything amiss. So we continued towards the mountains, and entered the valley that would have lead us to the rendezvous point. Just before we reached our destination, the acrid smell of rotting flesh became really strong, and Teme couldn't feel a single living soul for miles, so Sakura suggested that we fall back, but…"

The Kyuubi vessel was clenching the orange fabric of his pants in a vicious grip, choking up on his words as sadness and anger came off him in waves. Itachi was surprised when it was his little brother that picked up the story.

"We were ambushed. They were over fifty of them, coming out of the ground and trying to chain us down with chakra sealing cuffs. But I hadn't been able to sense a single one. None of us did, because they had no chakra."

The room fell into tense silence as Sasuke's jaw clenches with frustration before continuing.

"They were moving corpses, armed with relatively new weapons, but no matter how much I searched for it, I couldn't find a single trace of chakra in them."

At Sasuke's words, Tsunade had begun to pace the room, nervously biting on her nail as she listened to the young Uchiha's description of their attackers.

"They held no distinct headband, but their shinobi gear seemed to date from the third war. We tried to strike them down, but they would just… regenerate. We couldn't destroy their bodies, and sealing their chakra was completely useless; they kept moving as if they never got tired, and they just kept coming at us. We were getting nowhere, and steadily depleting our energy reserves while they didn't. Naruto got caught by their cuffs, unable to open his chakra points, which he had been able to do when he had fought against Neji during our Chunin exam."

Sasuke's words were slow and steady, detached from the story as if doing so would make it fake.

"They slowed down when I cast a massive genjutsu, but that only lasted a few seconds. I knew I was straining my eyes, but Naruto had been taking a beating, so I told Sakura to take him and leave while I held them back."

His little brother was now gripping at the bed sheets that were covering his good leg, frustration clear on his features as he forced the next words past his lips.

"But Sakura knocked me out before I could cast another illusion."

Itachi heard an amused snicker come from Tsunade, but only pain could be read on her features.

As the room fell silent, Naruto stood up abruptly, making the chair he had been sitting on topple over. His head was still bowed so that his blond hair covered his eyes, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides, but he still continued where Sasuke had left off:

"She had broken the chains holding me down, then knocked Sasuke out before smashing the ground from under us. The valley caved in, and that gave her enough time to get us out of there before things got anymore disastrous. I think I had a punctured lung, so she couldn't take us far, but she got us to a small cave. Once there she put up a few shielding jutsus and tended to my ribs before opening up my chakra points again, letting Kurama's chakra help with my healing. Teme was out cold with a broken leg, but I saw her heal his eyes before she told me to rest. The next thing I remember was waking up to Sasuke shouting my name because he couldn't feel Sakura's presence anymore… and because his vision was gone."

Naruto had come a long way from the obnoxious little boy that had only fooled around during the Academy years, and had become a great shinobi that the entire village respected. But at that instant, Itachi saw Naruto as the helpless boy that everyone said was too weak and dumb to amend to anything. The defenseless kid that was hated by the entire village without ever knowing why. Even his little brother, who had worked harder than anyone else just to get their father's approval and praise, looked completely defeated. Itachi could see the ghost of that small six years old boy, his shoulders hunched over and his head bowed towards the lake as his spirit broke when he hadn't been able to show Fugaku a 'suitable' Katon jutsu.

"We waited for her that night", Naruto's voice was laced with anger now, "but by sunrise she still wasn't back. I couldn't let Sasuke by himself, so I carried him out of our hiding spot, but the stench of rotting flesh was too strong for me to get a lock on her, and Sasuke couldn't see… So I ran back to Konoha."

The Jinchuriki's last words had come out as if he was disgusted with himself; he had abandoned his teammate. His body was tensed and shaking in anger, his head snapping up with bright blue eyes pleading at Tsunade's posed form. Konoha's Kage hadn't moved from her stance since she had stopped pacing the room, but was clearly not pleased with their story.

"Tsunade-baa-chan, we _have_ to go back for her! Let me-"

"Shut up brat!" Snapping at him, it was now the Hokage's turn to glare down at Naruto as she cast a silencing jutsu over the room before talking again, frustration clear in her voice.

"Officially, this was a solo mission for you. Meaning that _you_ were their target, Naruto. If they tried sealing your chakra, that means they wanted to capture you, _not_ kill you. And to keep a Jinchuriki detained means that they needed to bring you back to a specially prepared base. Sakura probably figured that once you were caught, it would be very hard to get you out. Moreover, that would also mean that her and Sasuke would have been disposed of if hey had been caught. Keeping that in mind, she probably lured them away from you two so that you could get away, otherwise they would have searched for you relentlessly, and they _would_ have caught you. But now that you've escaped, they will probably keep her as bait to lure you out."

"Than the more reason to go get Sakura-chan!", he stubbornly yelled back, almost whining like a child. At his words, even if Sasuke stayed quiet, he still nodded in agreement to Naruto's words. Itachi knew that the members of Team 7 had always been very close to one-another, but seeing the two boys going up against the Hokage just to go after a teammate, that was probably already dead, made him frown inwardly. They were ninjas. Losing your comrades, and accepting their death, was something they should be accustomed to. Then again, he could only feel a pinch of jealousy for the bond his foolish little brother seemed to have with his two other teammates.

"I can't let you go back", Tsunade answered, her tone definite, "They will be waiting for you, and if she sacrificed herself to get you two out, then there was probably no other option. I will _not_ render her actions useless by throwing you back into the wolf's den."

Naruto kept his glare steady on Tsunade, but didn't dare to interrupt her. She was into her Hokage persona, and would have literally crushed anyone opposing her right now. Especially Naruto if it meant that it would stop the rash idiot from dashing out of Konoha to search for his pink haired friend.

"Moreover, we have no idea where she went. You three were right next to Sound's borders, I can't blindly sent out squads into Iron and Sound just to search for _one_ Kunoichi-"

"It's _SAKURA_!", Naruto bellowed, fuming with rage as his canines sharpened in his anger, the Kyuubi making himself known.

" _Enough_!"

With that last word, Tsunade had smacked the wall next to her in anger, making it crumble to dust under her palm. The Hokage was shaking with fury, but only grief could be seen in her eyes.

Itachi then saw the shocked expression on Naruto's features, and the younger boy turned his gaze away from her, looking at his feet like a pouting child.

"I know that you are worried for her."

The Hokage's voice was raspy from all the shouting she had done, but the eerie silence that had fallen around them made her whispered words clear. After a few seconds, Tsunade cleared her throat and straightened her back, crossing her arms under her chest once more.

"A top secret mission between Fire and Iron has been compromised. Iron has always been a neutral country, and has stayed clear of all fights during the wars. Whoever attacked Team 7 waited for them to cross the border before ambushing them. It doesn't matter it they were shinobis from Iron or not, the treaty that Naruto was supposed to deliver is still in our possession."

Itachi drank up every detail his Hokage was giving them, having the feeling that he would be leaving for another mission before the end of the day.

"I have received a messenger hawk last night stating that the Ambassadors of Iron, the ones that should have met up with Naruto, had been found dead before even leaving Three Wolves Mountains."

Even if her voice was neutral, Tsunade's hard and steady gaze was back on Naruto, pinning the blond in place, daring him to try and defy her. When the Jinchuriki still made no indication of moving from his pouting position, she continued:

"I cannot send Naruto back, and Sasuke will be out of commission for a while."

In one swift motion that had her green robes spin around her, Tsunade turned around to face the bored looking Copy-nin.

"Kakashi, I'm going to need you to head for Iron, and deliver the Merchant Treaty to Mizune-san personally. I also want you to see what he has to say about this attack on his lands, and help them track down the bastards whom compromised this S-rank mission. You are to stay there as a diplomatic Ambassador until further notice. _Nothing_ else."

The copy ninja slowly nodded his head, but his tense posture clearly said that he wasn't too happy with her not letting him go after his student. After all, tracking down people with his nin-dogs was one of his fortes. Then again, maybe that was also why he was being sent over to Iron, to track down the culprits.

Not stopping to acknowledge Kakashi's nod, Itachi saw Tsunade turn over to him. Her tone was as serious and indisputable as when she had given her previous orders, but a slight waver could still be heard in her voice.

"Itachi Uchiha, I want you to go on a recon mission, see if you can find a trail that would lead to the source of those 'undead shinobis'."

At her words, Naruto's head perked up, but the blond woman ignored him and turned around, ready to leave the room. Stepping over the rubble she had caused, the Hokage glanced back towards Itachi before adding in an off-handed tone:

"Of course, Uchiha-san, if you so happen to fall upon a comrade from Konoha, there's no need for me to add that I expect you to do your best in order to bring him back to us."

As the Hokage left the partly damaged room, Naruto was now closing in on Itachi, a stubborn frown marring his features. The elder Uchiha didn't have time to wonder what the younger man was doing when a finger was angrily pointed at his nose.

"Oi! Teme's brother, you better bring my Sakura-chan back, or I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Itachi slowly raised a single brow towards the loudmouth that was trying to threaten him, but it was Sasuke that answered, seeming exasperated with his best friend's antics:

"Shut up Dobe. If anyone can find her and bring her back, it's Aniki."

At his words, Naruto stomped towards the younger Uchiha, clearly riled up:

"What you call me, duck-butt?"

This time, Itachi saw the annoyance cross his Otouto's features, clearly not enjoying the nickname.

"I said-"

"Alright boys, lets calm down", Kakashi cut-in after having had finally crossed the room to stand in front of his two students. His voice was calm and composed, but the way his closed fists were still digging into his pockets betrayed his sour mood, "Naruto, I'm counting on you to watch over Sasuke while I'm gone. And Itachi-san, I'm counting on you to bring her back."

His last words were somber, but the Copy-nin tilted his head to the side, watching the elder Uchiha with his good eye. When Itachi only nodded his promise, Kakashi vanished in a cloud of smoke.


	3. Inner Sakura

**_Hey, come on, snap out of it!_**

Sakura thought she had heard something, but honestly couldn't seem to make herself care. Not when her mind and body felt as if it was surrounded by cotton.

 _*Big fluffy, warm, comfy cotton balls,...*_ , she smiled inwardly, ready to fall back into oblivion.

 ** _Seriously? Focus already, you're making us look bad!_**

 _*... all fluffy, bunny, cotton candy,...*_

 ** _This is ridiculous. Focus you idiot! No wonder they think we're weak!_**

As the word registered through her hazy mind, vibrant green eyes snapped opened, anger clear on her features as Sakura got ready to pummel into next year the morons who had dared to call her 'weak'.

 ** _Well, it's about time!_**

Sakura felt a bit confused at seeing a clone of herself standing right in front of her. With her short pink hair, jade green eyes, her confidant pose with her fists resting against her hips, the red top, black shorts covered by a white medic skirt, the black ninja boots and leather gloves; it was a perfect replica of her stubborn and angry personality. The only distinct difference between her and the being standing in front of her was the black ink carvings on her wide forehead. This was her Inner.

Sakura's Inner had appeared right after Ino and her had become friends. Sakura had looked up to Ino, her beauty, her confidence, how she fought back, refusing to be looked down on. Ino had been her role model and best friend. At some point, they had become rivals when both had sought out Sasuke Uchiha's interests, but after a few years of being partners with the moody teen, and sharing everything as teammates, she had realized that she couldn't see him as anything more than a little brother. Naruto and Sasuke were the brothers she never had, and with that realization, Sakura had made peace with Ino, getting her precious best friend back.

Of course, it's only when Naruto had left to train with Jiraiya at the age of 13 that her Inner started to reflect in her personality. By then, she had already gotten over her crush for Sasuke.

The dark haired teen hadn't taken the departure of his best friend well. He had become a prideful jerk, and in a bout of rage, had thoroughly pointed out each and every little aspects of her personality and physique that made her a useless and weak Kunoichi.

She had cried for days, until Ino had barged into her room to remind her that pitying herself wasn't going to help her kick the younger Uchiha's ass for being such a prick towards a lady. The next morning, Sakura had walked up to the Hokage and demanded that she make her her apprentice. Sakura had been greatly surprised when a few weeks later Sasuke had apologized, but that had only steeled her resolve to surpass him and Naruto.

Not once did Tsunade show mercy. The pink haired Kunoichi had came home bruised and battered, exhausted physically and mentally, unable to rest as she read scrolls after scrolls of medical jutsus that Tsunade would drill her on the next day. As her training under the Slug Princess continued, her Inner's presence grew stronger, more ferocious, becoming a bigger part of her personality. She was her ultimate psychological shield, and right now, Sakura's subconscious was telling her to move her ass before she carelessly got them killed.

Her Inner could only appear in front of her when she was trapped inside her mind; trapped in a Genjutsu. Not wasting anymore time, the young women formed the 'Release' hand-sign in order to free herself from the illusion.

 ** _Really? I thought we were supposed to be smart._**

When Sakura noticed that she was still in this dark space with her Inner, she glared at her double.

 _*What are you saying?*_

 ** _What's the last thing you remember?_**

 _*We were chased around by those undead shinobis, but we got caught because …*_

Sakura's eyes widen in realization. She had been caught by that coward and pathetic excuse of a shinobi. She was already low on chakra, and had been dragged down by those chakra-sealing chains. After that, she had started fighting back, taking advantage of her free leg to wreck havoc around her, closing in on the mastermind behind the attack, ready to rip him to pieces, before getting caught in his genjutsu.

 _*How long have we been out?*_

 ** _Barely three hours. We haven't had time to recuperate, and seeing how a lot of our chakra points have been sealed off, we won't be able to shake off this illusion._**

Sakura started biting her nail, a nervous habit she had picked up from her Shishou. From what she had noticed when she had healed Naruto, those seals would prevent her from forcing her chakra points open. She needed a foreign chakra to open them up for her. Now the problem was that she was trapped in this illusion, and needed chakra to get out of it, but how to do that when your chakra points were sealed?

 _*What do you suggest?*_

 ** _What makes you think I've found a solution?_**

 _*Because you're my subconscious, and even if I was consciously out for a while, we both know that we're too stubborn to give up because of such a silly predicament.*_

 ** _Point taken. All right, here's what I came up with…_**

After what seemed like hours of debating over the plan, Sakura could only look at her grinning Inner with apprehension.

 _*This is a really twisted idea.*_

 ** _Twisted? You're also insulting yourself; you do know that, right?_**

 _*I'm not even sure if it'll work!*_

 ** _When have my ideas ever let us down?_**

Sakura looked at the evil glint in her Inner's eyes before answering:

 _*Never. But they're always reckless.*_

 ** _Acting as bait with a clone of Naruto and Sasuke was my last idea, and it got those goons far from our teammates._**

 _*Yeah, and look at the mess it got us both into.*_

 ** _That was the only way to make sure that Naruto and Sasuke were safe, and you know it!_**

Sakura could only let out a long sight at her Inner's growing anger. Her double was right. Their pursuers had been roaming close to their hiding spot. Leading them away from the cave had been the only way for her to assure her teammates' safety.

 _*I just hope those two idiots actually made their way back to Konoha.*_

 ** _Even if they did, Naruto will heal faster than Sasuke, and we both know that unless Shishou breaks every bones in his body, he's gonna come searching for us._**

 _*If he comes searching for us, I'll personally break each and every bone in his body for being so recklessly stupid. Which reminds me, I still need to scold Sasuke-kun for straining his eyes like that.*_

 ** _Yeah. I love them too._**

Sakura gave her Inner a small smile, hoping that her two boys had managed to reach Konoha safely.


	4. Itachi's Memories

Itachi left Konoha at midday, his weasel ANBU mask covering his face. Anyone that had opened a Bingo book would know that he was the only Konoha ANBU operative with such a mask, and even if the reward on his head would make most men weep, not a lot of people were foolish enough to engage him in battle.

The elder Uchiha had been displeased with his foolish little brother's actions. After Hatake had left the hospital, assigning Naruto to guard Sasuke while the younger Uchiha recovered his sight, the three had discussed the last known location of Sakura Haruno. They had been in one of the valleys that lead straight to Three Wolves Mountains, and the cave the pink haired women had found had been a few kilometers East of where they had been ambushed. To Itachi it was clear that her quick thinking had undoubtedly saved his Otouto's life.

What annoyed Itachi was the fact that Sasuke, in fear of losing his two comrades, had abused his Sharingan, and to add insult to injury, Fugaku had clearly reprimanded his youngest son for not having left his comrades to die in order to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. Good thing the Hokage had appeared at that moment, or the Uchiha patriarch would probably have had been tackled by a very irate looking Naruto.

Whatever the means to obtain power; Fugaku was a heartless tyrant. Itachi had obtained his own Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel after Shisui's, his best friend and cousin, death. At the time, he had been no older than 13 summers. As the Uchiha heir, Itachi had been told about the coup the Uchiha clan was preparing against Konoha. After turning to the Third for help, the other Clan heads of the village had shown their support to the young Itachi in order to find common ground with the Uchiha Clan, making them step down from their rebellion. Unfortunately, one of the Council members, Danzo, had been the one supporting this rebellion in the shadows. Not pleased with the peace treaties signed between the clans, Danzo decided to kill off the Uchiha heir, and attacked Itachi and Shisui on one of the clan's training grounds. That day, Danzo died, but so did Shisui.

Itachi still remembered the panic and fear crawling over his body has he rushed his wounded cousin to the hospital. Shisui's wounds had been too severe, and the young Uchiha had died during the night. The searing pain Itachi had felt that night while gaining the Mangekyou Sharingan still lingered on the edge of his mind, as if it had never left. It was not the kind of pain he wanted his Otouto to experience, but after Tsunade's examination, one thing was sure; with the desperate situation Sasuke had been in, his Mangekyou had started to manifest, but that had been too much strain on his eyes, almost leaving him blind.

Itachi shook those gloomy thoughts from his mind, concentrating on the mission at hand. The night had fallen over the plains he was currently running by. If he kept this fast pace, he would be able to reach the valley in a little more than a day, but he would have to take a break at some point. Even if this was supposed to be a recon mission, the Hokage had made it clear that he was to bring Sakura Haruno back, and Itachi didn't find the idea of infiltrating a base full of undead shinobi, with only half of his chakra reserves, a very appealing one.

His mind wandered to the Kunoichi that his brother saw as an older sister, and smirked inwardly. He could still remember his little brother's comments about the pink haired girl that had been on his team. She had been a shy one, and had held a crush for his little brother that had kept her grounded to Sasuke, stopping her from finding her own strength. Of course, she was the brains of their little trio, a quick learner, and had remarkable chakra control, but stayed in the shadows of the two boys whom's only motivation was to best the other.

When Naruto had left the village, his little brother had become very moody and easily irritable. Sakura had also been sad that her energetic teammate had left them in order to train, but she had stayed optimistic and had tried to cheer his Otouto up.

Itachi still remembered the day that Sakura had appeared on their training grounds, bringing him and his little brother a bento each. At first Sasuke had ignored her, his Sharingan concentrating on the genjutsu Itachi had been teaching him. When the pinkette had walked into the illusion and dispelled it almost instantly, Itachi had been surprised. Then again, with her perfect chakra control, it should have been obvious that Sakura was a genjutsu type.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had seen his weak teammate dispel the genjutsu effortlessly with no Sharingan or bloodline limit. The younger Uchiha had been trying to learn how to detect and dispel the attack since that morning, and she had just came up and cleared it in a matter of seconds. It was then that the youngest Uchiha heir had snapped at her, saying how she was just a weak and bothersome annoyance, how she had nothing to do on their team and should just disappear.

Itachi could still remembered the shocked expression on her face, while her body started shaking from Sasuke's degrading words. Her green jade eyes had gone wide before starting to shimmer, tears ready to fall. She disappeared before the tears could roll down her cheeks, and Sasuke just turned back towards him to continue with his training.

As the days turned into weeks, Sakura didn't come back to the compound, but his little brother showed no signs of caring. Itachi rarely got irritated with his younger brother, but this time he couldn't help but feel annoyed at how the young Sakura Haruno had been treated. So he sought her out.

Of course, she probably never knew that he had looked for her, but for over a week he had observed her from the shadows. Apparently she had asked the Godaime Hokage to take her in as an apprentice, and seeing how hard she worked, more determined than Itachi had ever seen her, the elder Uchiha could only smile at her resolve. After that, Itachi had brought his foolish Otouto to one of the training grounds Tsunade and Sakura were currently at. As Sasuke saw Sakura being flung across the field by Tsunade's fearsome strength, the younger Uchiha could only watch as his once feeble teammate got up from the splintered debris of a tree and dashed back towards the Hokage, dodging most of the hits before being thrown back into the nearest tree as if she was a ragdoll.

Itachi had then pointed out to Sasuke how unfair it had been of him to take out his frustration on Sakura, just because his teammate had left them to train. After all, Naruto was also her friend.

A few days later, Itachi learned that, after seeing Sakura work so hard in order to prove his little brother wrong, Sasuke had apologized to her before going to Kakashi Hatake and asking him for a special training.

Years passed, but even if Itachi was busy with ANBU missions, he still tried keeping tabs on his little brother. Sasuke and Sakura had become close now that Naruto was not here, and Team 7 had gained a new member, Sai. Sasuke and Sai didn't get along at all, but it was Sakura that held the team together and kept the two shinobis in check.

When Naruto came back four years later, him and Sasuke had sparred near the Uchiha compound to see who was strongest. When their fight had started to get out of control and the two boys had accidently destroyed a portion of Mikoto's zen garden, it was Sakura that had literally pummeled the two idiots into the ground, before apologizing to his mother for the rash actions of her two teammates.

A week later, when Team 7 had been invited over by Mikoto for dinner, Sasuke had surprised them all by asking Sakura for a spar. Itachi had been curious when his little brother had practically demanded that Sakura sparred with him that very night, something he had never done. Of course, Naruto had opened his big mouth and asked Sakura for a rematch after the hit he had taken in Mikoto's garden. Itachi had followed Team 7 to one of the training grounds that the Copy-nin favored, and had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the frightened look on his Otouto's face when Sakura had, with a single kick, destroyed the training field and sent Naruto flying, literally, over Konoha. But not as much as he had enjoyed seeing the small pink haired medic send Sasuke through several trees with a single hit, probably making his little brother regret each and every single insult he had ever thrown her way when they were kids.

After that, she had healed them both, but it was clear that the two boys were now very weary of their female teammate's temper, and would never doubt her strength again. Then again, Itachi had seen her potential since day one, and could only admire her strength.


	5. Sakura's Suicidal Dilemma

It was unsettling to be trapped in a genjutsu with absolutely no way out. Sakura was still standing in darkness, with only her Inner to keep her company. Not that she minded that her double was there to keep her from going insane from the pitch black surrounding her, or the deafening silence, but there was only so much one could talk about with one's self.

Another annoying thing was that she had absolutely no sense of time, and couldn't feel if her body was injured, cold, or hungry. Her Inner, being part of her subconscious, had a vague idea of the time passing, and could tell that, physically, she wasn't too bruised up, and most importantly she could tell if there was a presence near Sakura.

Even if her body seemed to be strapped down, courtesy of her captors, her Inner could feel that someone came to check up on her every hour or so. The first thing she needed in order to get out of this genjutsu was to open up her sealed chakra points. Sakura's body had been resting for almost three days now, so even if she couldn't feel it, she knew that her chakra reserves would be full, but that wouldn't be enough to unlock her sealed pathways.

And that's when her Inner's idea came into play.

Out of all her teammates, she was supposed to be the levelheaded and responsible one. She was the medic, the team member that had to dodge all the attacks to make sure that she would always be there to heal her comrades. She was the brain that made sure that no one would die under her watch…

 _*… and this is suicidal.*_

 ** _Don't worry, we'll be fine._**

 _*If Tsunade-sama finds out, she's going to skin us alive…*_

 ** _…_** ** _and then heal us so that she can gut us herself. But only if she finds out._**

At that thought, her Inner smiled devilishly. It was strange how the more reckless she got, the more confident she felt. Then again, it was probably all her Inner's fault, even if she had gain a lot more confidence in herself since she started training under the Fifth. Or maybe Naruto had rubbed off her?

 _*We've never been able to lie to her.*_

 ** _Then let's hope she doesn't ask._**

 _*Since when have we ever gotten that lucky? For both our sakes, I really hope this works.*_

Silence fell around them as Sakura tried easing her mind, waiting for the seconds she couldn't measure, to pass. Right now she needed to concentrate on getting out of here safely, then she would think about the mess she was in.

 ** _Our dear host just left from checking up on us, it's time._**

Her Inner's voice was calm and detached, like an echo surrounding her. She needed to stop thinking. Closing her eyes, Sakura gave way to the genjutsu, her mind fading from consciousness.

As one Sakura faded out, her Inner took over. She wasn't used to controlling the main body, but that didn't matter, all she needed to do was to take control of her jaws for just a few seconds. Grasping onto her surroundings was like trying to see into a room that was occasionally lit by lighting flashing from a window.

It took her a while, but after a few tries she managed to work her teeth over her tongue and bit down, hard. Now all she had to do was wait as she felt warm blood slip pass her lips. It wasn't the smartest idea she had ever had, but it was her best hope in getting back to Konoha and warn the Hokage. Either way, if she failed she would die, but that was a risk she was willing to take if it meant keeping her teammates safe.

As her body slowly paled from the blood lost, Sakura's Inner found herself gaining more strength as her counterpart flickered away. It was strange how only anger gave the Inner her power, but right now the faster Sakura's body died, the more space the Inner seemed to take. Soon, her subconscious would take over and with that, her instincts for survival.


	6. A Cloaked Enemy

A table was tipped over as the cloaked figure screamed in rage. Books and scrolls skidded across the stone floor as another chair was thrown against the nearest wall.

He had calculated everything, every detail had been taken into account. His data had been perfect, so WHY had he failed? All those months of planning, sneaking around Iron Country, spying on members of the council, bribing the guards,… all of this time WASTED!

He was furious. He hadn't been surprised to see that the Jinchuriki had brought his two other teammates along. He might even of had been _pleased_ to see the young Uchiha. But since when did that wannabe pink haired medic-nin had become so cunning? He had first met her during the Chunin exam all those years ago. She had been such a weak and insignificant little being back then. Maybe he should have kept better tabs on her after she had become the Godaime's apprentice.

In another fit of rage, the man picked up the last undamaged chair in the room, ready to smash it against the ground.

She had tricked him, how could he have been fooled by such an unrefined trick? He wouldn't have had been surprised if Naruto had pulled such a stunt, but her? His fury burned anew at the thought of the pinkette he had checked up on barely a few minutes ago. She had been chained down inside one of the old jail cells, her chakra points sealed, and if he hadn't needed her as bait, he probably would have sliced her into a hundred little pieces by now.

His only comfort being that she was now alone, trapped in a genjutsu, with no chakra available, and completely at his mercy. He didn't even bother with guards, not that his mindless puppets could be of any use as guards, but she wasn't a threat anymore. Now, all he needed to do was to wait for the Jinchuriki to show up so that he could lock him up in the cage that was ready to receive its prey.

Swinging the chair he had still been holding towards a pile of tipped-over shelves, he couldn't help the delirious cackle that left his lips. His plan had only been delayed, not ruined.

As more shouts and shattering noises came from the room holding the cloaked man, on the other side of the hideout an unconscious girl was slowly dying. Strapped down to the floor in chains, the pale pink haired ninja from Konoha seemed to be fast asleep as blood slowly dripped from her mouth, down her neck, and pooled across the cold grey floor.


	7. Itachi's Findings

When Itachi stepped into the valley that lead to Iron Country, where Team 7 had been ambushed, he came to a stop for a few moments to take in the scene.

The place was a mess.

Jagged rocks jutted out every which way, creating a massive basin around a single point of impact. Saying that the small valley had caved in had been an understatement; it had been completely reformed after Sakura's devastating blow. A few kunai and broken chains still lingered between the crack of the newly formed arena, and a few charred residues tainted the ground here and there in black.

Even if 3 days had passed since the ambush, Itachi's Sharingan could still pick up traces of chakra from the members of Team 7. If someone else had tried hiding their presence, they would have let at least a little of chakra behind after such a fight against Konoha's strongest team, but Itachi couldn't find a single hint at another's presence, just like his little brother had said. And if he hadn't known any better, and if the smell of burnt corpses hadn't lingered in the air around him, he would have thought that the three Konoha-nins had just sparred to their hearts content and leveled the small valley for fun.

Not wasting anymore time, Itachi summoned a few crows, sending them in every direction in search for a trail. While his summons were on the hunt, Itachi made his way towards the edge of the ruined valley. There wasn't a single tree, small bushes, or even a single strand of grass that could be found. The entire area seemed dead, littered with dried rocks and ash. After a few minutes of searching, the ANBU Captain finally found the cave Naruto had told him about; the one where Sakura had taken her two teammates to safety, before setting herself as bait.

The cave was small but cool; hidden behind larger rocks, making it hard to find if you didn't already know it was there, which made him wonder how she had found it in the first place. Storing that question in his mind for later analysis, Itachi didn't stay long in the cave. Sakura had managed to completely disappear after leaving the hideout, probably to keep her wounded teammates from coming after her, which only made his job that much harder.

He checked up on his crows that were flying over the mountains and towards Sound, and headed East when no trail had been found. Going West or South would mean crossing the battlefield they had just left, a stupid and suicidal move in his opinion. Heading North would mean heading towards Three Wolves Mountain, but there could have been more enemies stationed there, waiting to strike them down before they reached Iron's capital city. The smartest move, in order to lure the enemy away from Naruto's and Sasuke's location, would have been to head East. Moreover, heading East meant entering the mountains, which would have given Sakura plenty of opportunities to lose her pursuers.

Itachi didn't know how much his little brother's teammate had thought of, but he knew that she was smart, and had probably gone East. At least he hoped so, because as it was, he was running against time and didn't have the luxury to backtrack if she had taken another direction.


	8. Inner's Battle

Sakura's Inner screamed inside her mind as her consciousness died out. The main body was dying and the Inner felt each cell burning for more oxygen, each muscle tissue pumping out its last energy reserves to survive, each nerve endings sending out distress signals to the brain as the organs slowed in activity. And it was frightening. To feel your outer shell disappear around you while the body screamed from pain, and all the Inner could do was watch as everything collapsed around her; it was truly terrorizing.

But she couldn't let it end. She _wouldn't_ let it end like this. So the Inner did what she did best : she got angry. _Very_ angry. Anger was her energy, and the more energy she had, the stronger Sakura's survival instincts would be. And the more the Inner gained in strength and size, the more Sakura's conscious projection shrunk and paled with her body's shortening lifespan.

So the Inner screamed and punched into the emptiness around her, shouted back at the weeping cries of the body, slammed herself against the confines of the mind she shared with the consciousness, letting the body feel her excess of energy, baiting it to use this source of power while it was slowly dying.

It didn't need much more prodding than that. It was desperate to survive, and in the blink of an eye, the Inner was knocked back into the veiled part of the mind as Sakura's Conscious awoke with a gasp, chakra enveloping her as she quickly formed hand seals that would save her life.


	9. Sakura's Plan

When she finally opened her eyes, Sakura felt terrible. Her vision was blurry, her jaw ached, her forehead burnt, cold stones dug into her back, her arms and legs were cramped up, and she was desperately spitting out mouthfuls of blood in order to clear her lungs that were aching for a fresh breath of air.

And she was alive.

Once her coughing fit had ended, Sakura took a few seconds to take in deep breaths while thanking all the Gods, Demons and Saints out there that this crazy plan had actually worked. The plan being that when her Inner had taken over the body, this would allowed her survival instincts to kick in, forcing the release of her Yin Seal.

The Yin Seal, a rhombus shaped purple diamond in the middle of her forehead, was a jutsu Tsunade-sama had taught her. For the past 4 years, since her Shishou had started teaching her the technic, Sakura had been continuously storing chakra into the seal. Her Inner had released the seal, allowing all the foreign chakra she had stoked away to course through her body, opening up her closed chakra points, and dissipating the Genjutsu she had been locked up in. This had allowed her to activate the Ninja Art Genesis Rebirth, and heal her tongue before she died of blood loss, or drowned in the viscous liquid.

Ignoring the pain as her body healed itself, Sakura strained her neck to look at the chains that were holding her down, a slow smile tugged at her lips when she noticed that they were regular rusty chains, tightened and held by hooks cemented into the cell's ground. With her enhanced strength, a good pull would be enough to snap them in two. And once she was free, she would wreck havoc on her way out.

Sakura vaguely felt her Inner mirror her evil grin as they both agreed that they would make that bastard suffer for attacking her teammates, chasing her across half of Iron, knocking her out with a stupid Genjutsu, chaining her down in an old moldy cell, and not even bothering with putting guards to watch over her.

Yes, there will be Hell to pay.


	10. Itachi's Curiosity

After a day of running through the mountains, Itachi had finally picked-up a trail left by Sakura. It was about 3 days old and was fading away fast, but he had found it nonetheless. Thanks to his Sharingan, Itachi had followed her chakra signature down South before heading full East once again, and over the borders of Sound. He wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea of stepping into a hostile Country with no back-up, but then again, one lone ninja was always harder to spot than an entire platoon.

The oldest Uchiha heir had always been very good at hiding his presence; ability that he had perfected during his first year in ANBU. After all, being able to erase completely your presence during a recon or infiltration mission usually made a big difference in life and death situations. He had quickly honed the skill, and also used it around Konoha in order to keep tabs on his little brother.

After Naruto had came back from his training with Jiraiya, the members of Team 7 had passed the Jonin exam with flying colors. Even if Sasuke and Sakura could have obtained the rank of Jonin the year before, the two had decided to wait for Naruto to come back before passing the exam together. But once that had accomplished that, the noisy blond had wanted to join ANBU, much to Itachi's displeasure. Personally, he didn't mind if the young Uzumaki wanted to join ANBU, and actually thought that it would teach the ever so energetic ninja a thing or two about discipline. Unfortunately, what bothered him was the fact that if Naruto asked to pass the ANBU test, so would Sasuke.

Of course, Itachi was very proud of his Otouto, and knew that Sasuke had the skills and levelheaded personality to pass the ANBU qualification exam. But Itachi, having been an ANBU Captain since the age of 13, had seen a lot of things that he hoped his little brother would never have to experience.

That's when Itachi had begun to take shorter missions in order to keep a closer eye on his brother. He had even asked the Hokage to give them longer A or S ranked missions in order to keep them out of Konoha during the yearly ANBU exams. This ruse lasted for three years before Sasuke started dating Naruto's cousin Karin, a very talented medic-nin, and decided to take up a job as a teacher at the Academy.

Itachi still remembered the night his Otouto had announced his attentions to their father. Fugaku had been enraged that his youngest son didn't want to join the special elite forces like Itachi had, but Sasuke had proudly held his head high like any other Uchiha, and defended his own choices. It was probably the first time Sasuke had stood up against their father, instead of taking the scolding in silence like he usually did. A few days later, Team 7 left for Suna, the hidden village of Sand, so that Naruto could ask the Kazekage Garaa if he was willing to help the energetic blond train in order to become Konoha's next Kage. Thankfully, after that no members of Team 7 had asked to partake in an ANBU exam, much to Itachi's relief.

So yes, the eldest Uchiha heir had kept tabs on his little brother, and thus the rest of Team 7, but what he hadn't expected was that he had been taking more and more tabs on Sakura, and less tabs on his little brother. At first, he hadn't even realized that he was following Sakura more often than not. It was about one year after Naruto had came back that his little brother had called him out on it. Of course, Itachi had shrugged it off as mere curiosity, which wasn't an entirely false pretense. He was truly impressed by how the single daughter of a civilian family had raised herself to become as talented as the legendary Slug Princess. He was curious about her. She was vibrant and lively around her teammates and friends, yet deadly and serious in a fight or on the field.

So even if his cloaking technics were remarkable, it was a slip-up that had allowed this simple curiosity for her to morph into plain fascination.

It had happened about three years ago, when Itachi had been heading back home from a mission when, from the rooftops, he had spotted her. She was actually very easy to find, with her ridiculously bright hair. It was a wonder how she hadn't gotten herself killed yet.

That day, she had clearly been in a sour mood, stomping her way through the streets, glaring at anyone who didn't move out of her way fast enough. His curiosity had gotten the best of him as he carelessly followed her into an alley. It was only once he had been out of sight and deep into the alley that she had cornered him and called him out on his stalking. Apparently his Otouto had let slip that Itachi had taken a habit to keeping tabs on Team 7, and in her annoyed state she had given him an earful on how Sasuke was big enough to take care of his own business and did not need to be babied by him. He had stayed silent, wondering when he had messed up and she had detected his presence, but Sakura had taken his silence for something else. Fury had been clear on her features when she had asked him if it had been Sasuke that had asked him to keep an eye on her. She had then started scolding him like a little child, saying that she was old enough to decide WHO she dated, and that it was no one else's business, other than her own.

When he had only stared at her after her rant, not sure if he had understood the context of her previous speech, Itachi had probably raised a single eyebrow her way. It was a tick he rarely noticed he did, but he knew that it drove his little brother crazy, so had never bothered with learning how to control the slight twitch. At that, she had only turned around and stomped off, clearly exasperated.

That night, during diner time at the Uchiha's main household, his little brother had arrived at the table covered in bruises. After a few minutes of probing from a worried Mikoto, Itachi had discovered that earlier that day Naruto and Sasuke had ruined her date with another Jonin that was, from their point of view, 'not good enough for their Sakura'. That day, Itachi learned 2 things about the pink haired medic: 1 - that she had broken her record in 'how far can I punch Naruto?'; and 2 - that Sakura's temper was probably more devastating than the Godaime Hokage's.

But that only made her that much more interesting to him.


	11. Itachi's Getting Closer

Not long after the sun had set, Itachi had found a tall tree with thick branches near the forest's top canopy. Not knowing when he would run into trouble, the ANBU Captain had decided to rest for a few hours, before continuing with his search. Sleeping in a sitting position, his back probed against the tree's trunk, it was only when the stars had started to fade away with the coming morning sun that one of his crows landed on his shoulder. His summon had apparently found an old fortress where suspicious activities were currently ongoing, not 10 kilometers from his current position.

Not wasting anymore time, Itachi swallowed a soldier pill that would give him the extra energy he would need if he was ever drawn into a fight, and ran towards his destination. His senses were on high alert, but he couldn't stop his mind from wondering back to the members of Team 7.

A year ago the trio, all in their early 20s now, had become the new Sannin of Konoha after killing off Orochimaru. It wasn't the first time that they had encountered the snake-nin, no; that first meeting had occurred over a decade ago when Orochimaru had infiltrated Konoha during Sasuke's Chunin exam. At that time, Itachi had been there to save his little brother from the power-hungry missing-nin, but hadn't been fast enough to protect the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. After Sarutobi's death, Tsunade had been asked to take on the role of the next Hokage.

Itachi was proud of his little brother and his teammates for earning the title they had worked so hard to gain, but he also envied them. He was the best ANBU Captain of Konoha. Was a feared and respected S class shinobi. But he was lonely. He rarely took to leading a team since old teammates usually stuck together, so more often than not, he took on solo missions. After all, he was there to do all the dirty and dark deeds for the Hidden Leaf Village, and had worked his hardest to make sure his little brother, and the generations to come, would never experience the atrocities of war like he had when he was no older than 5 years old. He knew he wasn't invincible, and if anything ever happened to him, he needed to be sure that Uzumaki and Haruno, even Hatake, would be there to look after his Otouto, and next Uchiha heir. He took extra care to look out for Sakura. She was the medic-nin of their little team, and a very good one at that, and if she died, who would make sure Sasuke survived if he ever was wounded during a mission?

At least that's what he told himself when he followed Team 7 around. When he followed her around.

Snapping out of these thoughts he wasn't ready to look into right now, Itachi saw the outlines of an old stone wall appear in the distance. With his Mangekyou Saringan activated, he could see an old fortress in ruins just beyond the obstacle. The stones were old and dark, as if the place had been burned down, leaving only the outer stone structure of the fort intact. The stones had been polished by time and rain, but the air around the place was stagnant and cold; eerie even. As he jumped over the wall and into the central courtyard, Itachi finally saw the hundreds of chakraless corpses just standing there, randomly placed in the open space and looking into the emptiness around them.

Even if his mother had always been very adamant about him not swearing, he couldn't hold back the few cuss words that slipped his lips.


	12. Sakura's Meeting

Hiding her presence as best as she could, Sakura sneaked around the stone-carved tunnels, searching for the exit. The door to her cell hadn't even been locked, so leaving quietly hadn't been a problem. Now all she needed to do was put as much distance between herself and this place before anyone noticed that she had managed to escape.

The eerie tunnels were cold and damp, and the flaming torches aligned on the walls were so few that the lightning was always dim. A shiver ran down her spine as a slight breeze made the flames around her quiver before stilling again. This place reminded her way too much of Orochimaru's lair they had infiltrated to take down the ex-Sanin. But knowing how deranged her captor was, the interior design didn't really surprise her.

Peeking down a hall on her left to make sure the coast was clear, Sakura continued on with her exploration. There wasn't a single soul around. Or at least, a single soul for her to detect. She frowned inwardly at that thought. The one that had set Naruto up wasn't stupid, a coward maybe, but not an idiot. And yet, there wasn't a single guard patrolling the corridors, her jail cell hadn't been locked, and if she came across a panel saying 'Exit that way' she honestly wouldn't of had been surprised. To her, this situation just screamed 'Trap!'

As she turned down another corner, Sakura passed in front of an open archway leading into a wide room. Normally she would have just ignored the huge chamber in front of her, but what she saw in it made her pause. The ceiling was about three times higher than the rest of the hideout, and the cage in the middle of the room could easily have held an elephant. But that wasn't what had made her pause.

All the surfaces of the room; let it be the floor, the walls and even the ceiling, were covered in seals and markings. It was actually pretty impressive. Each seal was woven into one another, forming an intricate circle around the cage. Even if Sakura wasn't an expert in seals, she knew this contraption might actually be able to hold down Naruto and the Kyuubi.

As she entered the room fully, ready to smash the walls and cage into a mountain of rubble, Sakura felt herself being suddenly pulled to the side has a hand clamped down over her mouth. Not one to scream, she contemplated the idea of biting into the palm that was starting to bruise her lips while sending chakra into her elbow, ready to crush her assailant's lungs, when a voice stopped her.

"Sakura-san, please keep still."

And she froze.

Sakura didn't need to turn around to know whom the low baritone voice belonged to. And even if some hidden part of herself, namely her Inner, seemed thrilled by the company, it didn't mean that she was pleased with him restraining her in a cramped up corner.

 _*Of_ all _the ANBU operatives, why did Shishou have to send_ him _?*_ , Sakura thought grimly, only to have her Inner disagree.

Tapping lightly the back of his hand, asking him to let her go, she sent a small pulse of chakra through his body to make sure he wasn't an enemy in disguise. Once sure that it was the real Itachi, Sakura made sure to wipe any emotion from her features before turning to face the Uchiha.

He had pulled her into a narrow fault that ran into the stonewall, and the little moving space she had available kept her from putting too much space between them. She probably couldn't even cross her arms in front of her without ending up bumping into his chest. It was dark enough that they wouldn't be seen by anyone passing by and not paying attention, but it wasn't dark enough so that she couldn't make out the outlines of his face.

"Uchiha-san, what are you doing here?", she whispered as calmly as she could.

"I've been sent on a recon mission in enemy territory with the order to bring back any allies I was to meet."

Translation : This isn't an official mission and if they don't come back, Tsunade couldn't do anything for them.

"What about you, Sakura-san?"

She tried real hard not to roll her eyes at the stupid question, even if her previous question had been just as silly. He probably hadn't been too pleased with her calling him 'Uchiha-san' either, but now he was just trying to get under her skin, so she kept a stoic face as she answered nonetheless.

"I'm thinking about redecorating my room. Thought I could take a few pointers from whoever designed this place."

He raised a single eyebrow, clearly not impressed. Okay, she hadn't planned on the snarky remark, but the man was so damn infuriating sometimes.

"Listen, Uchiha, I have everything under control right now so if you could…"

Her words died out as a streak of blond caught her attention. She felt the color drain from her face as a very angry looking Naruto appeared inside the chamber holding the sealed cage. Stunned, Sakura could only watch dumbly as her idiotic teammate screamed her name at the top of his lungs. If they got out of this place alive, she swore she was going to throttle him.


	13. Itachi's Plan

Itachi hadn't been expecting to find her so soon, or that he would run into her before he had had time to search the rest of the place. But then again, Sakura hadn't been the 'damsel in distress' type for quite some time now.

After jumping into the courtyard and finding himself in the middle of an undead shinobi army, Itachi had been ready to fight for his life. But the attack never came. Sasuke had been right about their attackers; those lifeless puppets had been simply standing there, devoid of pulse or chakra, waiting for orders and taking no initiatives, much to Itachi's relief. After that, he had sneaked into the cave like entrance of the rundown fortress, keeping clear of the corpses' sight, in case they were somehow linked to the mastermind that had planned it all.

After an hour of hiding in the shadows while scouting the empty place, Itachi had mapped out enough of the lair to know that Sakura was probably detained in the East corridors he still hadn't explored. Moreover, the twisted soul who was responsible for the zombie army standing outside was most likely also located in the East wing.

As he made his way through the hideout, Itachi noticed the lack of traps and guarding jutsus; proving that this was a trap just waiting to snap shut once its prey had entered.

Shaking those troublesome thoughts from his mind, Itachi concentrated on the task at hand; namely, finding Sakura Haruno. But before freeing the pink haired medic and leaving the dark and damp lair, the ANBU Captain had entered a room covered in seals from floor to ceiling. The Hokage had been right when she had speculated that someone had wanted to catch the Kyuubi vessel alive. The iron cage in the center was encircled by intricate sealing patterns that just needed a few drops of blood and the right hand seals to be completed.

While he had been absorbed with putting a plan into motion and deciphering the multiple layers of the massive ink trap, he had almost missed the presence sneaking around the corner. Slipping into a wide crack that snaked down the wall near the room's entrance, Itachi had seen the little Kunoichi waltz right by him. She had a very determined look on her face as she made her way towards the cursed contraption, chakra already focused into her fists in order to tear down the place with her bare hands. His body had reacted before his mind could, and Itachi had pulled her into his already constricted hiding place, with him.

The second he had felt her body tense in his arms, he knew she would crush him then and there if he didn't raise the white flag. He had thought that calling out her name had been a good call, until she had turned around to face him with an emotionless mask. That had just annoyed him the slightest bit. Not that he would ever admit it, but couldn't she have just stayed put while he came to her rescue? For a medic, she could be really reckless… And was that _blood_ covering her?

His brain barely registered that she had asked him a question, and maybe made a snide remark at his own question, but pushed it all aside as his eyes inspected her. She had apparently released her Yin Seal as deep purple markings went from the diamond on her forehead, spreading across her face and down her neck to snake around her arms, torso and legs. Sakura must have had been mortally wounded to have activated the Godaime Hokage's prized jutsu, which seemed to annoy him for some reason. When she had stepped away from him, Itachi had been able to see a darker smear that covered her back, but now that she was facing him, he could easily see the streak of blood that had crusted from the corner of her lips, down her neck, and over her shoulder. She was covered with the crimson substance, and seeing how a good portion of her normally pink tresses was caked with blood, she had probably been lying in the iron scented liquid for a while before getting up. But other than her ghoulish appearance, she seemed to be physically fine.

"Listen, Uchiha, I have everything under control right now so if you could…"

When he saw her face pale as her words drifted off, Itachi followed her gaze to the blond shouting near the cage. He did not roll his eyes, as the heir of the Uchiha clan it wouldn't of had been proper of him, but he really wanted to. This plan was going to backfire on him if Sakura decided to interfere, so before she could make a single step out of their hiding spot, he reached out for her.

Holding onto her wrist to keep her in place, he leaned down a bit before whispering into her ear:

"It's fine."

She turned her attention back to him, her green eyes squinting suspiciously at him. He could almost see the wheels spinning behind those gorgeous emerald eyes of hers. She eyed him from head to toe, then glanced back at the ever-ranting Naruto before her eyes settled on him again.

"That Naruto is a clone of yours, isn't it?"

He couldn't help the small smirk that took over his lips at hearing her hushed words. She was smart, which always made him want to play mind games with her, she was a fascinating puzzle, but his favorite game was still figuring out what made that terrible temper of hers go off.

"What are you up to this time?", she asked in hushed tones while her tense posture showed that she didn't trust him one bit, much to his distaste.

"Just trust me and stay put." Itachi hadn't meant for his words to come out with so much indifference, but seeing how anger was starting to slip into her whispered intonations, he flinched inwardly at his poor choice of words.

" _Trust_ you? How the hell am I supposed to trust a guy that abducted my teammates, which includes his own little brother by-the-way, just to ask me out on a date? Or when you locked me up in that complex Genjutsu for 10 minutes just so that you could eat the last dango before I did? And then there's all those times when you got Shishou to send us on impossibly long missions so that we missed the yearly ANBU exams Naruto wanted us to partake in."

 _*Hn, so they had known*_ , he thought offhandedly while she finished her ranting.

"So excuse me if I have a hard time trusting you. I ditched my own teammates to get them to safety, I knew that I was getting myself into a messy situation when I set myself up as bait, I never asked for help, I was escaping just fine, thank you."

Now that she was just glaring daggers at him while catching her breath, Itachi took his chance to reply: "Technically, our Hokage sent me. Naruto arrived in Konoha with a wounded Sasuke, both boys begging to dispatch a team to go and find you. Tsunade-sama couldn't afford to send an official ANBU team into neutral and enemy territories, so I became your only imposed rescue team."

Hearing that her teammates had made it back to the hidden village safely seemed to calm her anger, making her words lighter: "Don't turn my words against me Uchiha-san. I didn't want anyone to come and get caught in this already messed up situation, that's why I didn't leave a trail for Naruto and Sasuke to follow."

As she finished her sentence, she couldn't help tugging her wrist out of his hold as she looked at the still fuming fake-Naruto, a sigh escaping her lips as if she suddenly felt very tired: "Why do you always make everything so damned complicated?"

Her words were bone weary, but Itachi needed her riled up and ready to fight: "You are the one complicating things for me right now. I want to draw out the enemy without him summoning his undead army that's waiting outside."

His voice had been as calm as always, like he had informed her of the weather or stated the time of day. Of course, that had only served to poke at her pride.

"Right, and sending a fake Naruto into his trap definitely won't compel him to bring out his little soldiers." Itachi didn't react to her angry and sarcastic words, and made sure that his face stayed as bored and stoic as he could, making it seem as if nothing ever bothered him. After all, his favorite game was riling her up, and he knew his current lack of emotion, as well as ignoring her snide remarks, was driving her crazy.

"Actually, it's very simple. Fake Naruto surrenders, enemy comes out unguarded, I take him down, end of story." Now she was fuming, much to his delight. It was interesting how a few mocking words could get her to be very emotional and easily manipulated one moment, before she ended up surprising him with a totally uncalled for action the next. But that only made teasing her that much more exciting.


	14. Sakura's Patience

"Actually, it's very simple. Fake Naruto surrenders, enemy comes out unguarded, I take him down, end of story."

Was it her imagination, or had he just belittled her? She was still angry with him for the last stunt he had pulled, and his current words weren't doing anything to get him back into her good graces.

Inside her mind, her Inner was trying to convince her that, since they were still deep into enemy territory with impossible to kill shinobis just waiting around the corner, maybe it would be wiser to just kiss the guy senseless, forgive him, and work together to get out of this mess.

Unfortunately for the Inner, a scorned Sakura was also a very stupidly stubborn Sakura. So the pink haired medic stood her ground as she decided to ignore the tall Uchiha facing her, turning her head towards Itachi's clone.

A few minutes had passed since Itachi had pulled her into the fault in the wall, and Naruto's screams had finally attracted enough attention that undead shinobis entered the large room, circling around the blond and blocking the clone from her view.

Sakura knew that she was just acting like a spoiled kid right now, but she just couldn't seem to make herself enter her 'serious' mode. Not with Itachi standing so close.

When a cloaked figure finally made it's way through the moving mass of grey bodies, Sakura made sure that her presence was erased before following the man's movements.

Pale hands reached up towards the hood covering his face, tilting the obstructing material backwards to reveal a disheveled head of silver hair, black rimmed glasses over a skin covered in white scales, and piercing yellow eyes that had a shiver run down Sakura's spine.

Kabuto Yakushi.

He had been a brilliant medic once, before joining Orochimaru as his right hand man. Worshiping the very dirt the snake-sannin walked on, Kabuto had lost his mind when Team 7 had destroyed his master, and had gone as far as implanting cells of his deceased idol into his own body in order to bring back Orochimaru. This had led to Kabuto's snake like appearance and present dementia.

"Hello Naruto, so good of you to join us!", Kabuto's grin was wide, revealing two sharp canines.

"Where's Sakura you glasses freak?!", Sakura wanted to smack her head against the wall behind her, or smack Itachi for making a clone that made the same lame insults as her blond teammate when he had been 13 years old. They didn't have time for such foolishness.

"Ever the rash one, are you Naruto? Don't worry, your little teammate is safely locked up in her cell." This time, Sakura did roll her eyes at the missing-nin's words. Apparently the snake-sannin wannabe hadn't even bothered to check up on her situation when he had made his way here.

"What the hell do you want from me anyways? Wasn't the snake-bastard after Sasuke and his eyes?", Sakura smiled at that, Itachi's clone was trying to get as much information out of Kabuto before they revealed themselves.

"My master wanted to learn all the existing jutsus on this Earth, and needed the Uchiha's eyes in order to succeed. But even if I tried cloning Orochimaru, I couldn't bring him back. It was never truly him.", Sakura winced as his voice cracked over the last words, the poor soul really looked torn by the lost of his mentor.

"And even if my body accepted is cells, I'm apparently not strong enough to become his next vessel." This time his words came out laced with bitter anger as he slowly peeled off a scale from his arm, leaving behind a gash of decaying flesh before continuing with his explication in a serious tone: "So I figured that, before building my Master his next vessel, I first needed to buy myself more time."

Kabuto's eyes were fixed on Naruto, a sly grin spreading on his lips, giving way to a deranged smile.

"And you, Naruto, were my answer! You always wander around unguarded, unlike the other Jinchurikis, are brash and easy to trick, and you hold the Nine Tail Fox with it's incredible amount of chakra!", Kabuto explained, acting as giddy as a kid in front of a candy store.

"So if you'd be so kind as to step into the cage?", Naruto tensed at that, fists tightly clenched at his sides, "You'll act as a sort of chakra battery for my experiments. But don't worry, once I'm done with you I'll eventually free you… if you survive that long that is." That creepy Cheshire grin was back on Kabuto's lips.

"Where's Sakura you twisted jerk!" the fake Naruto bellowed, eyes red as the Kyuubi made itself known. Sakura was actually impressed that one of Itachi's clones could pull off such a show.

But then again, this _was_ Uchiha Itachi, genius prodigy.

"Oh, well, she's not of any use to me now that you're here, so I'll probably open up that huge head of hers to see what secrets she holds into that pretty brain of hers." At his words, Naruto's figure charged straight towards Kabuto, a Rasengan already forming into the palm of his hand. The missing-nin started to cackle madly at Naruto's rash response, signaling his undead army to attack the irate looking blond.

Sakura, seeing how distracted Kabuto currently was, decided that she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. Silently slipping out of her hiding place, she barely took a moment to whisper a harsh "Kabuto's mine" in Itachi's direction, before making her way towards the still laughing maniac.


	15. Itachi's Discovery

"Kabuto's mine."

Her words seemed to echo in Itachi's mind as he saw her slip out of the shadows, running out of his reach and towards Kabuto's unguarded back.

The woman was impossible. One second he was sure she was going to stay put and let him deal with this situation, and the next she's running out there, head first without thinking. And to think that _she_ had been the one to accused _him_ of never thinking about the consequences of his actions. Which was utterly false. He _always_ thought about what his actions would bring. That was how he got what he wanted every time.

That's also how he had kept his little brother safe from the ANBU world, had had a great first date with Sakura Haruno, always obtained the last dango for desert, had went on many other dates with Sakura until she had accepted to be his girlfriend, flawlessly accomplished his missions like demanded of him,… Ultimately, Itachi was so assured of his plans that he was ready to bet everything he owned that he could commit suicide, after putting one of his schemes in motion, and still achieve his goal after his death had come to pass.

He could also admit that some of his methods would be considered dubious from a moral standpoint, but his plans were always carefully thought through, and he always achieved his goal. Even if the little pink haired medic, currently fighting a hissing Kabuto, had a knack for messing with said plans.

A flash of memories flickered in the back of his mind as Itachi realized that his Naruto-clone had just disappeared after running out of chakra. Frowning inwardly at that, the ANBU Captain activated his Sharigan and took a few seconds to assess the situation.

From his hiding spot, to his left near the archway that served as the only access point in and out of the room, he could see that Sakura was currently dodging chakra imbued scalpels wielded by a cussing Kabuto.

To the right, in front of the still opened cage door, stood a cluster of motionless corpses. Apparently the mindless puppets could only follow one order at a time, and took no initiatives once the deed was done; which explained why they had been in 'stand-by' and gazing into nothingness when he had jumped in the middle of them earlier. That also meant that if Kabuto noticed that his little lackeys weren't doing anything, he could call them out to attack Sakura.

Focusing his attention back the Kunoichi, he only had the time to see her land a solid punch into Kabuto's gut before seeing him fly backwards. The crazy scientist went crashing straight into the pile of unmoving bodies, coughing up blood as chakra flowed into his belly to repair the damaged muscles and blood-vessels. As Sakura ran towards him, another chakra punch ready for the killing blow, the missing-nin's left eye closed as he shouted for his meat-puppets to shield him.

Itachi's eyes followed his every movements as Kabuto clumsily leaped back, discarding his brown cloak as a wave of bodies crashed head-on into Sakura's attack. Limbs and broken bodies scattered around her as she leaped over to where Kabuto was currently cowering near the cage, his left eye still closed even if Itachi was sure that Sakura hadn't wounded him there. The sly bastard was ready to order his little army to stop shielding him and to start attacking the enraged pink haired fury that was making a beeline for him.

Taking this as his cue, Itachi sent out a massive Genjutsu over the undead shinobis crawling behind Sakura and towards they master, hoping it would slow them down like his little brother had said. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kabuto stagger blindly as he got to his feet, hunched over as he poured more healing chakra into his lower abdomen. He seemed disoriented for a few seconds before opening his left eye just in time to throw a scalpel towards Sakura as he launched himself to the ground, rolling away and dodging her ground-shattering kick.

At that moment, the Uchiha knew that he had been right when he had assessed that Kabuto could see through the eyes of his creations. When the snake-sannin wannabe had opened his second eye, his control over the corpses had ceased, and the mindless puppets had stilled.

Leaving his hiding place to jump between Sakura and the unmoving threats facing her back, Itachi summoned Amaterasu to engulf the closest cluster of body parts. He felt the strain in the back of his eyes, but ignored the pain as the black flames ate away at its targets.

The grey bodies burned away as they started moving again, making their way towards him. Kabuto had noticed his presence and the flame free bodies leaped toward him, kunais in hand. Unsheathing his ANBU Katana, Itachi sliced through the decaying flesh, his eyes trained on the falling body parts as they hit the ground and fused back into the nearest body, allowing a sectioned soldier to get back onto his feet and continue his assault.

His mind was reeling as he parried attacks and dispatched more enemies. Amaterasu had done its job and had dissipated once the targeted corpses had burnt; they hadn't been able to regenerate. The lifeless bodies seemed to be taking the cell tissues they found to reconstruct their own damaged cells. This gave the illusion of regeneration when, in truth, it was just matter replacing matter.

Right now, they were fighting in a rock carved room; there was no grass, bush, trees or dirt for the corpses to 'feed off' like when they had attacked in the valley. This also explained why everything had looked so dead and the earth so barren when Itachi had found the location Team 7 had been attacked at.

It was true that Kabuto had a lot of corpses at his disposal, but not an infinity of it.

Spinning his blade in a wide arch, Itachi pushed back his oncoming assailants before summoning the deadly black flames once again. He could feel thick bloody tears start rolling down his tear ducts, but ignored the unpleasant feeling as he watched the fire eat away his enemies.

When he was sure the flames would finish the job, he wiped the blood away before deactivating his Sharigan. His vision was a little blurry, and a headache was blooming behind his temples, but the damage could easily be taken care of with a few healing sessions. Even if he knew Sakura would chew his head off for pushing his eyes like that.

 _*Thinking of Sakura…*_

The pink haired medic was currently standing over the beheaded corpse of the scale-covered missing-nin, holding a chakra covered scalpel between her fingers. He could only see her back, but that was enough for him to notice the deep cuts marring her body as they slowly closed-up, her body healing itself as her blood dried into her cloths and onto her skin. The purple markings of her jutsu were slowly fading away as she let her weapon fall to the ground, the metallic clatter echoing through the hollow room that had gone eerily quiet now that the two Konoha-nins stood alone and victorious.

When she turned around to face him, her jade green eyes were still wide and bright from the adrenaline boost she had gotten from her fight with Kabuto, her hair was a soft pink mess with tips dipped in crimson red, just like the streaks of blood that covered her ripped clothes and porcelain white skin. She was a sight to behold, standing tall and proud, marching off towards the seal covered cage like the Goddess of Destruction she was. Itachi could only stare at the small woman tear down the metal contraption while his blood rushed south.

His Otouto might've had been right. He was either a twisted sadist, or a far too clever masochist.


	16. Sakura's Resentement

Sakura still refused talking to him. After the fight against Kabuto, they had traded a few words while cleaning up Kabuto's lair, destroying his laboratory and sealing the evidence into scrolls for the Hokage to examine.

No extra words were given.

The two Konoha nins had then left the old ruins a little after dawn, making their way towards Fire Country. They had agreed on heading back South, to Konoha, without delay. Leaving Sound was their priority; they would have time to rest after crossing the border.

Since leaving the lair, Sakura and Itachi had been traveling all morning, and even if the pink haired medic had made them stop near a stream for her to wash off the blood still coating her skin and hair, she hadn't uttered a single word. Itachi, who was standing guard while she bathed, had tried starting up a conversation, but she had stubbornly ignored the Uchiha. Her Inner had whispered into her thoughts that, maybe, she was being a bit harsh on the poor guy. At that, Sakura had viciously stomped her Inner back into unconsciousness, refusing to acknowledge the ANBU Captain's presence until he apologized for the stunt he had pulled over four months ago.

At least, that had been her plan until they decided to stop for the night. They had crossed over into Fire Country a few hours ago and had agreed on setting camp in the middle of an isolated clearing.

Sitting next to a fire she had just finished setting up, Itachi's patience had finally ran out as he called out to her :

"Sakura, we need to talk."

She honestly couldn't tell if he did it on purpose to use the worst possible phrasings when she was pissed at him, or if he genuinely didn't understand that some words were better to be left out of conversations when they touched the topic she was angry with.

Looking up to the man standing in front of her, she noted that he had dropped his stoic mask and jaded look, looking at her intently, refusing to be ignored once again.

Itachi had, apparently, been more flustered by her silence than what she had originally thought.

"So _now_ you want to talk?"

Her tone was still harsh, but her anger had long been replaced by resentment, and seeing how he held his ground, she wasn't going to be able to get rid of him tonight if she didn't comply with his request.

Waving a hand over for him to sit down, she let out a sight : "Fine, I'm listening."

His piercing onyx eyes never left her face as he slowly walked to her before squatting down and crossing his legs under himself, taking a seat to her left with his body facing her side. He held himself straight as he stared at her, half his face covered in shadows giving him an ominous air.

"I love you."

Always blunt, serious, and straight to the point, but his honest words always made her stupid heart stuttered without her accord as she desperately tried to kill the smile tugging at her lips.

The first and last time he had told her those words had been four months ago.

On the eve of leaving Konoha for another ANBU mission, four months ago, Sakura had managed to arrange a diner with him and her parents. The evening had been nice and cheerful as Sakura presented Itachi to her parents has her official boyfriend. They had been dating for the past two years, but she had only realized how much he meant to her only six month prior to that fateful evening.

It was actually an embarrassing memory when she thought about it. They had been out on a date, and between two shifts at the hospital Itachi had taken her out for a picnic on top of Hokage Rock. As she had looked over Konoha, her gaze had fallen on Itachi's serene features as he watched over the village he fought so hard to protect. Seeing him so at peace with his surroundings, her mind had stopped filtering her thoughts and words, and she had simply blurted out 'I'm in love with you.'

While she had felt her cheeks heat up after realizing her slip up, Itachi had looked at her with shock, before a genuine smile graced his lips as he looked at her with those soft onyx eyes that had made her heart race in a second.

After that, Sakura had decided that she wanted him to meet her parents, but with her crazy hours at the hospital, and him in and out of the village on missions, they hadn't been able to find the time to arrange the meeting. At least not until four months ago.

Her parents had approved of Itachi the second he had spoken up and declared that he had been courting her for the past two years, and was pleased to finally meet them. After they had left her parent's house, Sakura had led them back to her apartment while they had vaguely talked about how, maybe, they should also tell the older Uchiha's parents about them.

The rest of the night had gone by in a flash as the to lovers basked in the other's embrace, not knowing when Itachi would come back. And when dawn had finally crept over the Hidden Leaf Village, Itachi had woken her while laying soft kisses all over her body, making his way up the curve of her neck and under her ear, before whispering those three precious words she had been desperately waiting for during the past few months.

 _I love you._

Sakura's heart raced at the sweet memory, unable to hold back her smile as she threw a dead leaf into the fire.

 _*That day had started out so well_ *, she thought sadly as the rest of the memory unfurled in her mind.

About an hour after Itachi had left, Sakura had been getting ready to leave for the hospital when Fugaku, and the entire Uchiha Council, had barged into her small apartment and invaded her kitchen. It had been the worst two hours of her life.

The head of the Uchiha clan had come to question her about her relationship with the heir to their noble clan. Fugaku had made it clear that a poor medic-nin, from an ordinary and nameless civilian family, should not be mingling with his sons. He had tolerated her presence as the teammate of his youngest son, since her and the Kyuubi vessel could be used as shields for Sasuke if a mission went wrong, but she had crossed the line when she had started seeking out the interest of his oldest son.

Sakura had looked to Mikoto for help, but the Uchiha matriarch had only given her a small sad smile as an apology. With the head of the clan, and the elders breathing down her neck in the kitchen, she could not speak up without seeming disrespectful. She had to support her husband's choices, even if she adored Sakura and had been ecstatic to learn that her eldest son had _finally_ found someone special to him.

Meanwhile, Sakura had silently listened to Fugaku's degrading words, clenching her jaws shut before she insulted the head of Konoha's strongest clan. She had stood tall and proud, staring boldly into his eyes and refusing to show how much his words were upsetting her. When he had finally left with the elders and his wife, Sakura started shaking with fury and resentment as hot angry tears spilled over.

She had then taken the morning off from the hospital, leaving for Team 7's training grounds where she had meticulously leveled the field as she summoned Fugaku looking clones and pummeled them into the ground.

A bit before noon, Sasuke had found his dust-covered teammate lying in the middle of the field, staring blindly to the sky. That's when he had told her why his parents, and the Clan's elders, had barged into her house without warning that very morning. Earlier that day, after leaving her apartment, Itachi had came to the Uchiha's compound to pick up his gear before heading out for his latest mission.

Sasuke had been eating breakfast with his parents when his older brother had entered the kitchen dressed in ANBU gear. He had ruffled his little brother's hair, as he greeted his father, before kissing his mother good morning. Itachi had then announced that he would leave for a four-month long mission, and was hoping that he could invite to them out for diner to meet his girlfriend once this mission was over.

What Sasuke hadn't told her was that this wouldn't of had been a problem if the Uchiha heir had chosen his words differently, even if Sasuke suspected that his older brother had known _exactly_ what he was getting himself into when he had announced that he "wished to invite his parents to diner in order to formally introduce them to his future wife, Sakura Haruno." Itachi had then taken the dumfounded silence of his parents as his cue, and had swiftly taken his leave. Sasuke, on the other hand, could barely register the brilliant smile appearing on his mother's lips as he saw his father's usually stoic face turn a deep and angry crimson red. He wasn't sure if he was more shocked at the fact that his precious teammate was dating his sadistic older brother, or impressed that Itachi had just pulled off pissing their father into a blind rage in under two seconds flat.

A deep frown marred Sakura's features as she watched the flames dance over the logs. Itachi had just up and left for four months, leaving her alone to face the anger of his Clan's leader. Of course, she was way to stubborn to back down, and had shown Fugaku just how good a medic she was, before challenging Mikoto to a duel. At first, Sakura had held back, but had quickly learned that, if she wanted to prove herself to the Clan, she had to go for the kill like Mikoto had. The pink haired Kunoichi had known that the Uchiha matriarch was strong, but had still been surprised when the small and dainty Mikoto had showed speed and power that rivaled that of her sons. The fight had not been easy, and she had nearly lost when Mikoto had trapped her into a Genjutsu, only to pull through at the end.

And boy had she been angry. Furious even.

Mikoto couldn't help her, and Sakura understood that, but as the days passed Sakura's rage only grew as she resented Itachi for leaving her in this mess. Sasuke had tried giving her pointers on how to present herself to the Patriarch, while keeping this entire mess a secret from Naruto, but it hadn't been easy.

Her growing frown and continuous silence pushed Itachi to speak some more.

"When I arrived to Konoha, I visited your apartment first. I didn't know you were supposed to go on a mission."

"I wasn't, Naruto dragged me and Sasuke into it."

"So I've heard. Thank you for protecting Sasuke."

Sakura merely shrugged at his words, this small talk was calming her nerves : "They're my family, my teammates, Itachi."

Silence fell again as he seemed to hesitate in his next words : "You know, I've always been jealous of you three. But mostly of you." At that statement, Sakura actually turned her gaze to him, surprised by his admission. What could the great Uchiha Itachi, shinobi prodigy, ever be jealous of?

"I've tried protecting my little brother from the Clan, but he was always clinging on to our father, wanting to fill in the mold of 'the perfect Uchiha'. He was stubborn and proud, reluctant to mingle with the other kids… and then he entered the Academy and became a member of Team 7."

She couldn't take her eyes off him. Itachi was so calm and serene while he talked about his precious Otouto. She had rarely seen him this open, but it had been that side of Itachi that had made her realize just how much this man was special to her.

"He opened up to others, grew wiser and quickly understood that the Uchiha Clan wasn't all that flawless, and most importantly he learned to rely on you two instead of only himself. Naruto never followed the rules, Sasuke followed Naruto into his antics, and you were always the one to bring them back on track. You got them out of trouble, followed protocol, scolded them, and yet, you were the first one to break the rules if it was to cover for them. I thought you were just another soldier like me, and when I looked closer, I saw how wrong that assumption had been. I saw just how much freedom you took to complete your missions without ever going against your own beliefs, never backing down from your choices. For that, I've always envied you."

Sakura could only blink at his words. She was floored. Itachi had never spoken so much, and she began to wonder if this was some kind of illusion. Maybe she _had_ failed her jutsu in that rusty old cell and she was actually delirious from the blood-lost and would soon die.

"You're a strong, stubborn and beautiful woman. That I've known for a long time, but lately I had forgotten that fierce loyalty you held for what you loved and cherished. When I arrived to Konoha and you weren't there, I left for the Compound and my mother came to meet me at the entrance."

He let out a breathless laugh as a fond smile found his lips.

"I think she gave me the biggest scolding of my life, before kicking me out. I had forgotten how scary my mother could be."

The orange light from the fire seemed to dance inside his dark onyx eyes, Itachi had rarely seemed more alive to her. And happy.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with the Clan without me. I'm sorry I left for so long without warning you beforehand. I'm sorry I tested you over and over again when I was the one so hesitant to open up to you."

Sakura felt her throat close up at his words, only to notice that she had started crying when Itachi leaned over to frame her face with his warm hands, his thumb slowly wiping at a tear.

"And thank you. Thank you for fighting my father, thank you for not dumping me the second the Clan closed in. Thank you for always setting me strait in that adorable stubborn way." He took in a shaky breath, leaning his forehead onto hers as he closed his eyes.

"And thank you for loving me.", he whispered to her.

Suddenly, Sakura couldn't remember why she had cursed his name, why she had been so angry that he had left. For the life of her, she wouldn't have been able to give a single reason as to _why_ she had refused to talk to him up until now, and truthfully, she just felt plain silly for the way she had acted earlier when they had met in Kabuto's lair.

Once again, this man had bested her. She never could win against this innocent and socially awkward Itachi. He had always been the big bad ANBU Captain, but when he let his walls down around her, her own iron defenses seemed to vanish in a puff of smoke. He had let her deep into his heart, or maybe she had been the one to punch her way through, and Sakura had discovered the soft heart of an innocent boy that had been taught to kill all emotions since his birth. Most saw a confidant leader in Itachi, but he also had a very fragile side to him. One where he was clumsy, shy and nervous around the people he cared for, hiding his discomfort behind teasing and mind games. She remembered his pain and how he had cried when he had told her about Shisui's death. How proud he was whenever he talked about his little brother, or how soft his eyes would become when he talked about his mother.

"I still want to kick your ass, Uchiha.", her tone was light as a half smile showed him that she was just teasing.

"Well, miss Haruno, I'll let you know that my mother refused to let me back into the Compound until I made up for my actions. So I had to find a solution before nightfall if I wanted to sleep into my bed that night."

Now she felt a grin stretch across her features, amused to hear that Konoha's scariest ANBU Captain could still be bullied around by his mother.

"Really? And how did that work out?"

"I bought an apartment."

He had said it in his typically blunt and straight to the point Itachi Uchiha way, and Sakura couldn't help the fit of laughter that suddenly took over, making more tears roll down her cheeks. In the back of her mind, she knew this man would be the death of her, but strangely she didn't care; she hadn't felt this light and happy in months and laughing felt great, exhilarating even.

Sakura felt him sit back, the palm of his hands brushing away a strand of pink hair as she dried her eyes with the back of her hands. Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Sakura turned fully towards him, their knees brushing against one another's. She heard him clear his throat, catching her attention as she noticed that he had turned serious again.

"Sakura, would you move in with me?"

For the second time that night, she could only blink stupidly at him as her mind took way too much time to register the words. But Itachi Uchiha was a patient man, and watching shock, bewilderment, confusion, realization, and finally joy pass over her features seemed to be the most interesting thing to him.

She flung herself onto him, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck as her lips locked with his. The kiss was fierce but all to short as she leaned back a little, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she smiled brightly at him.

"Yes, Itachi."

She leaned back in for another kiss, feeling his lips stretch into a smirk under hers as he brought his hands to her waist, pulling her into his lap.

"And when are you going to tell your teammates about us?"

His words had been a bit muffled by her lips, but Sakura stilled before pulling away reluctantly, sending a mild glare towards the irritating Uchiha.

"You really want to talk about this now?", she asked skeptically, her earlier blush fading fast as she looked down to him, her arms still hooked around his neck.

"Sakura, I've been courting you for the past two years, when are you going to tell them?", with him craning his neck back to see her face, and the slightly annoyed crease between his brows, he almost looked like a pouting child.

Sakura winced at his words. Itachi was right. They had told their parents, she had sweat blood and tears to get Fugaku's approval, Sasuke had given her his blessing after warning her that his older brother was a sadistic popsicle, and now the man of her life wanted them to move in together. She didn't have any more excuses to hold back the news from her blond haired, blue eyed and very very loudmouth of a teammate.

Sakura had told herself many times over the past year that she would tell her teammates about her relationship with Itachi when the time was right. Strangely, the time never seemed to be right. She had told Ino, who by god knows what miracle hadn't blurted the information out into the village's rumor mill. Sasuke had learned the info when Itachi had announced his plan to their parents, but had kept his mouth shut in front of Naruto. And Naruto…. Well, it had taken him 19 years to figure out that the Hyuga heiress had a crush on him, so he was probably completely blind to the matter. No later than last week had he announce just how pleased he was that his Sakura-chan wasn't with a 'shinobi that wasn't worthy of her'. The blond idiot had clearly spent way too much time hitting the clubs with Lee.

She knew that Sasuke wouldn't say anything as long as his precious Aniki was happy. She also knew that Itachi could hold himself against Naruto if the blond came at him for a fight, and she could send the energetic blond flying over Konoha if he pestered her too much; but she just hadn't found it in her to tell them.

Letting out a defeated sight, Sakura yielded.

"All right, the moment we enter Konoha, I'll tell him. But we're doing this my way. I don't want hem getting crazy ideas before I even get to explain our relationship. I don't want any misunderstandings."

Itachi smiled, but Sakura ignored him as she continued : "AND, you're on your own to handle Naruto. That includes keeping him out of our apartment at night."

Now Itachi as sprouting a full on grin that made a little warning bell ring in the back of her mind : "No deadly jutsus allowed.", she added while eying him suspiciously, but when his grin didn't falter, she added stubbornly :

"Itachi, it's not because you already know the answer to a question, or how something is going to unravel, that you can't ask or warn me about it beforehand. We're a team now and this isn't a top secret ANBU mission. We need to share information, even the smallest ones, if we want this relationship to work out."

She had been very serious in her statement as she saw Itachi's smile grow wider. The pinkette, suddenly too tired to play his mind games, had brushed it off as him being pleased that, once again, he had gotten his way with her.

When she'll enter Konoha two days later, she would grimly tell herself that she shouldn't have had been surprised, really. After all, she'd known him for almost ten years now. She should have seen it coming; he just couldn't keep things simple, could he?


	17. Epilogue

It had been a week since Naruto had dragged an unconscious Sasuke through the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. A week since Itachi Uchiha had been sent over to Iron in order to find the location of the undead shinobi army. And a week since Kakashi had left for Three Wolves Mountains.

It had truly been one long and frustrating week for Naruto and Sasuke whom had been coopted up inside an hospital room with ANBU operatives checking up on them every hour to make sure they hadn't left Konoha. Tsunade had finaly given Sasuke permission to leave the hospital that very morning, but not before giving the two boys the news they had been anxiously waiting for. Apparently, Kakashi hadn't been able to find any lead on who had killed the Iron officials that should have met with Naruto, but had still delivered the Merchant treaty like he had been tasked too. Itachi had also sent out one of his crows, bringing news that the culprit had been exterminated, the undead army neutralized, and that he had also found Sakura and would be arriving with her this very evening.

At hearing that, Naruto had suggested to his partner that they should both leave for Sakura's apartment and wait for her there. Sasuke had only shrugged at the suggestion, silently following the over excited blond while his own pace was slowed by a pair of crutches. The two young men entered Sakura's apartment; Naruto going on about maybe heading over to Ichiraku's and order a 'welcome back' meal for her, only to fall silent once he had passed the front door.

When the two Konoha-nins entered the woman's apartment, they could only stare in shock at the empty foyer that led into a completely bare living room. Naruto sent out shadow clones into the other rooms, swearing louder and louder as they noted that every room was as empty as the last one.

"Eeeeeh?! Oh my Kami! Sakura-chan has been robbed! Teme! What do we do? What to do? What to do?"

Watching his best friend, and his mini army of blond clones, panic in the middle of the empty lobby, Sasuke turned around and staggered towards the front door, feeling a headache coming on. Holding his crutches in one hand in order to open the front door, Sasuke had been ready to leave his still panicking teammate when something caught his attention.

The young Uchiha's face blanched while the Narutos noticed his stilled form and gathered around him, staring speechless at what they saw. Tightly wedged into the wooden oak door was one of Itachi's kunai, holding in place a small rectangular piece of white paper. On it, in Sasuke's older brother's neat handwriting, were four simple words.

 _Sakura Uchiha is mine._


End file.
